TWO STORIES FROM U.S. RIGHT TO KNOW

1) Today our executive director, Gary Ruskin, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at a hearing about "Reforming Federal Records Management to Improve Transparency and Accountability."

Ruskin described our team’s investigation of high-risk virological research and the origins of COVID-19 as a “test case of citizens’ access to government records.” As part of our investigation, we have filed more than 150 public records requests, including 97 Freedom of Information Act requests, seeking thousands of pages of relevant federal records. With the information we gathered, we’ve written more than 70 news articles about the origins of Covid 19 and risky virological research.

But in many cases, federal agencies did not comply with public records laws, or obstructed those laws – prompting us to file 25 FOIA lawsuits. This is a sign that our public records processes are failing the public, Ruskin said.

He shared evidence that government staff obstructed public records laws in numerous ways, delayed production of records, made egregious redactions, and other failings that impede the public’s right to know.

You can read Gary Ruskin's testimony here and view the hearing at this link.

2) 'Intrepid truth seekers'

The U.S. government “funded and supported a program of dangerous laboratory research that may have resulted in the creation and accidental laboratory release of SARS-CoV-2 … (and) lied in order to cover up its possible role,” writes Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, in a new article in CommonDreams. They should “correct the lies, find the facts, and make amends with the rest of the world.”

Sachs credits a “group of intrepid truth-seekers—journalists, scientists, whistleblowers” – including U.S. Right to Know “and especially investigative reporter Emily Kopp” – for uncovering “a vast amount of information pointing to the likely laboratory origin of SARS-CoV-2.” You can read Emily’s reporting here.

You can make a tax-deductible donation to support our investigations here.